As a convenience for customers, banks and other institutions involved in receiving and dispensing of money have been increasingly installing automatic unmanned teller machines. Originally, these machines were only installed within the principal premises of the institutions. More recently, however, these machines are being installed at locations remote from the principal banking premises, such as, driveways adjacent thereto, shopping centers, parking lots, building lobbies, airports, etc., both for walk up and drive-up application. These remotely located automated teller machines permit a customer to identify himself to the computer controlling the machine and then transact normal banking transactions such as, deposits, withdrawals, payments, etc., just as if the customer were physically present at the institution. An essential factor in the selection of suitable locations for these automatic teller machines is the security of the machine and its availability to the customer. The need for security is obvious when it is appreciated that these machines will frequently contain large sums of cash. A less obvious factor is the installation of such a machine at a location where a minimum of space is available or where space is relatively expensive. Such a location is the use of driveways adjacent to one or more of these machines which are mounted on minimum width islands between or adjacent to these driveways.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,735,966 by inventor R. S. Garver teaches an adjustable steel vault having telescope sections which can be positioned to expand from a nested position to a telescoped position. A door is provided on an end of one section which allows access to the interior of the structure regardless of the relative positions of the sections. A manually operated crank and panel assembly is provided to decrease the size of the structure from a manually telescoped position toward a nested position. The sections are supported on the supporting surface by rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,755 by inventor Paul R. Wiedmann teaches a structure particularly adapted for use with an automatic teller machine for location at a site remote from a financial institution. This structure is adapted to be installed on a small space as adjacent to or between driveways when in use and mounted on a base are components which rotate from a use position to a service position while maintaining environmental integrity to the interior of the structure. Like the prior mentioned structure, a door on one end thereof provides access to the interior of the structure when the interior components are in either a use or service position. The construction of this structure is labor intensive, economically expensive to construct, will not be readily adaptable to the various automatic teller machines and is incompatible with combined computers and automatic teller machines.
There has not been a completely secure and versatile structure for housing automatic teller machines or the like until the emergence of this invention.